Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Keller Could Be a Cornhusker

What actually happened at Arizona State? Sam Keller was named the starting quarterback on Friday, then a bizarre switcheroo on Sunday had Rudy Carpenter replacing Keller. What happened in 48 hours that changed coach Dirk Koetter's mind? The first reports had 19 players coming forward Saturday to Koetter to express their preference for Carpenter. This suggests that Koetter had lost control of the team, which is unlikely at this point of any season. One thing is clear: the switcheroo had nothing to do with what happened on the practice field. Koetter said so himself. "It didn't have anything to do with how the quarterbacks played," he told the East Valley Tribune. So what was it? It's a guessing game, and guessing they are. The site Cactus Ranch — you might remember it from our earlier billboard posting — is filled with speculation. A common theory is that one quarterback (Carpenter) was doing things right off the field and another (Keller) was not. Columnist Paola Boivin of the Arizona Republic alluded to "numerous players on the ASU football team who had concerns about Sam Keller as a leader." She goes on to describe the bizarre scene Sunday, when Carpenter was surrounded by media members after practice. Wrote Bolvin: "Several teammates walked by and shot their fists in the air as a show of support." It's clear Keller is not a popular teammate. We'd be stunned if he hangs around. Reports here, here and here have him packing his bags for Nebraska.